Born Julia Stanley, she was the mother of John Lennon, legendary guitarist/singer/songwriter for The Beatles. She married his father, merchant seaman Alfred "Freddie" Lennon, on December 3, 1938, against the wishes of her father, George Ernest Stanley (her mother was Annie Millward). John was born on October 9, 1940, after Julia endured nearly 30 hours of labor, amidst an air raid from the Nazis. Both of John's parents dabbled in entertainment, though neither pursued it professionally (Julia was described by John as a comedienne and singer). Julia and Fred split when John was 4 and left him in the care of her sister, Mary Smith (John's famed "Aunt Mimi"). Reportedly, Julia got pregnant by a sailor and had a daughter, Victoria Elizabeth, born on June 19, 1945. She was forced to give the girl up for adoption by her strict father (and her sister allegedly refused to raise an illegitimate child). The girl was adopted by a Norwegian family and was never seen or heard from again. Julia took up with Robert Dykins (whom John nicknamed Twitchy) and had two daughters with him – Julia, born in 1947, and Jacqueline, born in 1949. Julia and John maintained a close relationship, despite the fact that they lived apart (John wouldn't learn until much later that his mother never lived more than 10 miles from him). She played the banjo and introduced John to the instrument. John wrote three songs in honor of his mother: "Julia," which appeared on The Beatles' 1968 "White Album," as well as "My Mummy's Dead" and "Mother," both of which were released during his solo career. His first son, Julian (born John Charles Julian Lennon), is named, in part, after her. She was killed when a car driven by an off-duty policeman, who was drunk, struck and killed her while she was standing at a bus stop. The policeman was later acquitted. (bio by: Donna Di Giacomo)